Actor and chansonnier. With Sardinia which is always a point of reference and an indissoluble bond. And the Island has inspired “C'etait quand”, the new recording work by Bruno Putzulu, who has lived in Paris for many years where his surname has become Putzulù. He worked with great directors, such as Tavernier, Godard, Berry and Dupeyron, and won the Cesar award in 1999 (the highest award in French cinema) with the film "Petits desordres amoureux". His father Giovanni, who died in 2005, was born in Aidomaggiore. In the fifties of the last century he had moved to Normandy, in Tountainville, to work in a paper mill, but every summer he returned with his family to his island, never forgotten. Those holidays in Aidomaggiore for the artist are memories of affection, games, walks, freedom and light-heartedness that have found a happy synthesis in the 13 songs that make up the album. «In these passages – he explains – there is my whole life. Joy and pain. My origins, my family, friends. From childhood to experiences in theater and cinema to a passion for music. I've always loved to sing. Acting and singing express boundless freedom. Music helps us live and brightens our days. At 14 I listened to an album by Adriano Celentano. It was a very pleasant discovery. His songs have an incredible energy».
Tribute to Johnny
Putzulu, author of the songs together with Denis Piednoir and Leo Nissim, pays tribute to Johnny Hallyday: «I owe him a lot and I remember him with affection and nostalgia. I met him on the set of the film “Pourquoi pas moi”. We became friends. He called me at three in the morning and pretended to be offended when I didn't answer.' Aidomaggiore is a constant reminder also in the images that accompany the musical project: «Sardinia is present in every moment of my life. I have a special relationship with Aidomaggiore and in the CD I have included photos of the nuraghe symbol of the town and of the statue of Santa Barbara kept in the country church that I visited in the summer of 2021 when I returned to Sardinia ». On that occasion, the town near Oristano welcomed him warmly: «I met my dearest loved ones and friends from distant summers. The memory of my father brought me back to this land. I have to thank him for everything he did for us and for teaching me and my brothers to love the island. Seeing my grandmother's house again and meeting uncles, cousins and friends was a great emotion». It was not easy for her father to integrate into French society. "Unfortunately, racist attitudes towards Italians were frequent", explains the actor who dedicated the show "Les Ritals" (a derogatory term with which the French defined Italian immigrants) to the world of emigration, staged in Paris in recent months and in other transalpine theaters. It is taken from a text by the Italian-French writer Francois Cavanna, one of the founders of the satirical newspaper "Charlie Hebdo".
The friend
In "C'etait quand" there are echoes of two musical worlds that Bruno Putzulu knows well. Two glorious traditions: French chansonniers and Italian songwriters. Elegant and refined melodies. In the song "Chez Fulvio" Bruno talks about his friendship with his friend Fulvio Trogu, born in Dolianova, who in the mid-nineties opened a restaurant in Paris, in the Marais. “The album lacked a joyous song. I immediately thought of Fulvio. I've known him for 28 years. He is like music. When I arrive in his restaurant life is much lighter and bad thoughts go away. An environment that I find congenial perhaps also for two family presences that protect us: the map of Sardinia and the small wooden mill built by my father».